Golden Finance reported that according to the British Financial Times, South Korean retail investors are flocking to the U.S. stock market, betting that U.S. stocks will continue to rise during Trump’s second term as U.S. president, and at the same time frustrated by the poor performance of the Korean stock market over the years. According to data from the Korea Securities Depository, as of the end of 2024, U.S. stocks held by Korean investors reached a record $112.1 billion, a year-on-year increase of 65%. This is in sharp contrast to their net sales of South Korea's KOSPI index stocks worth 5.4 trillion won (approximately US$3.6 billion) in the same year. Tesla is the most popular overseas stock held by Korean investors. As of last month, Korean individual investors held a total of US$24.5 billion worth of Tesla shares, followed by Nvidia (US$12.1 billion), Apple (US$49. billion) and Microsoft ($3.2 billion). "This shift highlights shareholders' disillusionment with the local stock market due to poor returns," said Namuh Rhee, head of the Korea Corporate Governance Forum. "Unless something dramatic happens, this trend is likely to continue."